Information scrolling is well known in the prior art. An operator of an application driven keyboard/display standalone or host connected computer work station or system can effect scrolling by keying textual information against the bottom of the display screen. Scrolling here is an automatic rolling up of information on the screen under system control, and is dynamic and to a sufficient extent for the operator to key in additional line(s) of information. In addition, scrolling information within a window on the display screen is also known.
With the IBM Displaywriter Reportpack application program, field width expansion is automatic. However, expansion is only intermittently dynamic. That is, as the right hand side of a record field is keyed against, the right hand side is moved a specified number of units to the right. The right hand side does not again move until keyed against.
In the above, by keying against the bottom of the screen is meant completion of keying on the last line on the screen. Upon completion of the last line as when no more room or vacant lines are available for keying, scrolling is in order. By keying against the right hand side of a record field is meant keying a character in the last character position of the field. Without expansion of the field, the next keyed character would overrun the field.
Based on the above, dynamic and automatic information scrolling is an old concept. Also, a semblance of dynamic and automatic window expansion is old. This art is pertinent to varying degrees, but falls short of either anticipating the instant invention or rendering the instant invention obvious. The instant invention presents an advance over the prior art in that both automatic and dynamic information and window border scrolling are available to an operator through mode selection, and occur upon editing. In addition, window border scrolling follows the contents of the window. As information is added, the window is increased in size. In like manner, as information is deleted, the window is diminished in size. The advantages of the above advances are improved operator flexibility, system useability, and screen utilization.